The Prompt
I’ve been thinking a lot about cowardice. Write a story where your protagonist is a coward: their mettle is tested, and they fail. Whether this works out well or poorly for them is up to you; whether they’re sympathetic or not is likewise your choice.
Sasha Brown
Sasha Brown is a Stoker-nominated writer and gardener whose surreal stories have been called “Creative! But in a bad way.” He’s in lit mags like X-R-A-Y and Split Lip, and in genre pubs like Bourbon Penn and Weird Horror. He’s on bsky at sashabrown, and online at sashabrownwriter.com.
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I made my protagonist someone acting all tough while hiding behind anonymity and a screen, and using that to be an all-around miserable piece of work without consequences. What would happen, though, if those shields aren’t as foolproof as they thought? Probably the most unlikable protagonist I’ve ever written, but an incredibly cathartic writing experience!
How on earth was I going to be able to make my character’s cowardice work in his favor? I just let him be who he was while responding to those around him. It was so much fun to watch him make the best of a terrible situation, while still running away!
The day was long, and I could only write within the last hour of it. So, I wrote about my MC not having the courage to deviate from the habit of revisiting heartbreak. It was a continuation of the scene I wrote last night, of late-night scrolling through online content and social media to distract from the hurts of real life. With not even 400 words, I’m glad I wrote something, though.
That sounds like an interesting take on cowardice! Nice work.
Today’s prompt extracted a dark story from me. It’s very rough, but it’s finished.
Nice work! I love the dark stuff.
I got stuck all the way back on Day 3 (Mogadishu 2995) because the prompt called for a genre out of my comfort zone. However, I came up with a character and a reason for the alien leader’s death and unstuck myself to write Day 3’s story (about 100 words) on Day 5. She’s appeared in every story since, with each prompt weirdly connecting to a different stage of her arc. Today, she was 17, and her cowardice has far-reaching implications. I didn’t set out to create linked stories, but I’m liking how they’re unfolding and curious to see how long I can keep her alive 🙂
Thanks for another terrific prompt!! (I’m caught up now!!)
What an interesting idea, to write linked stories! That’s awesome.
I wrote 850 words to use for a character’s background. When he was 18, a high school football star with a bright future, he came face to face with a life-changing moment. Because of his cowardice, one of his best friends’ grandfather dies.
Oh no! That sounds super sad. Great angle!
This prompt spoke to me right away. I wrote about a grown, brave man – a firefighter – whose father had taught him a lesson in courage by refusing to bungee jump with his sons because he was afraid of heights. About 500 words. Possibly worth fleshing out into a flash piece.
That’s an interesting way to come at it, through the character’s dad!
I didn’t technically write a story for today’s prompt. But, I did take it with me into my words on my main project. Rhys may be slow around the base path, but he’s very good at running from his problems. 😀 Wrote 1791 words today
1791 is a ton! I usually run out of gas after about a thousand.
It’s worth it and it helps you grow as a writer.